Anxiety, Depression Can Be Eased with 150 Minutes of Exercise a Week.

Researchers say people can benefit from exercise whether it's outdoors or indoors, and whether it's team sports or individual activities. Getty Images Matt Nerger was 6 when he first tried sports and, like for many youngsters, it was overwhelming. He cried for hoursleading up to his first soccer game at the spacious indoor Soccer Centers complex in New Jersey. Just thinking about being on the field with all those other kids caused him excessive anxiety, nausea, and outright fear. But in the end, he put the scariness aside, took the field, and had a good time. He also learned a lifelong lesson about how exercising his body is good for exercising demons. 'Teambonding and learning how to work with others was crucial in my development into adulthood,' said Nerger, who now works as a writer.

'Sports helped me destroy some of the barriers that my anxiety created.' Scientists agree that physical exercise - eithersolo or in a team environment - not only helps our bodies look and function better, it can effectively battle mental health conditionslike anxiety and depression. What researchers uncovered Sports sociology researchers from the University of SouthAustralia (UniSA) and MSH Medical School Hamburg in Germany released a study they say demonstrates sports can protect people from serious mental health disorders. The study assessed levels of anxiety and depression among 682 German recreational athletes under different conditions along with similar amounts of exercise and intensity. Researchers also gauged factors such as indoor settings versus outdoors, as well as team sports compared to individual sports. Athletes who met the World Health Organization's (WHO) exercise guidelines generally experienced better mental health than those that didn't.

The guidelines recommendTrusted Source 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week for healthy adults ages 18 to 64. The effects on mental health One of the study's authors, Katja Siefken, an adjunct lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia, said it's important to recognize that different forms of exercise affect mental health in different ways. 'Understanding the factorsthat can influence or alleviate depression and anxiety are essential but, until now, there's been insufficient proof about the optimal types - or amounts - of activity needed for...